Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ubc-cs.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcsri!garfield!ubc-vision!ubc-ean!ubc-cs!morrison
From: morrison@ubc-cs.UUCP (Rick Morrison)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: Unions, CRDs...
Message-ID: <146@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Jan-86 15:15:03 EST
Article-I.D.: ubc-cs.146
Posted: Thu Jan 16 15:15:03 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Jan-86 18:48:00 EST
References: <137@ubc-cs.UUCP> <756@watmath.UUCP> <139@ubc-cs.UUCP> <682@mprvaxa.UUCP>
Reply-To: morrison@ubc-cs.UUCP (Rick Morrison)
Distribution: can
Organization: UBC Department of Computer Science, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Lines: 25
Summary: 

Don Acton writes (more or less):

>>Brad Templeton: A union that exists only through force is a sham.
>>A union that couldn't keep its members on its own merits doesn't
>>deserve to be a union at all.
>>
>>Rick Morrison: One could make the same argument against mandatory
>>payment (taxes) for any of the many social services (UI, property 
>>tax for education, fire and police protection), vehicle insurance...
>
>Don: Although one can make the same argument for these services, Brad 
>proposed a test to determine it something should exist and it appears it 
>is by this test that unions might fail. With respect to taxes the test would 
>be "how many people would be willing to continue to support the services?"
>Most people seem to be fairly reasonable and capable of judging the 
>benefits of a service and tend to look toward the common good.

I think, if you are suggesting that people would *voluntarily* continue
to pay taxes, you are very wrong. People are much more inclined to
support something when they realize *everyone* will be in with them.
It is sort of a reverse "tragedy of the commons" that when people
see that Joe next door isn't pulling his weight they too begin to
loosen their load.